Traditions
by ShadowSword524
Summary: Ichigo takes his son to experience a family tradition. Rated T for language. Warning: Character Death. This is a sad fic.


**Hey there, ShadowSword524 here! I had this idea while lying in bed the other day. I literally shot up in my bed. Anyway, this is a sad fic. I've never really written such depressing fic before. Wish me luck, please.**

Traditions

"Good morning, son!"

"…"

"Wake up, Kaien!"

"Ahh! Dad, what do you want?" the young boy growled at his father. The father looked right back at his son, completely unfazed by his son's threatening aura.

"Today's that day," Ichigo replied to his son.

"Oh," Kaien replied solemnly.

"Come outside when you get dressed."

Kaien: Ichigo Kurosaki's one and only son. He had black spiky hair, like his grandfather, and amber eyes, like his dad. Kaien was more like his father than he realized, but he would never admit it. Kaien always wore a smile, except in the mornings, and a tall figure. Kaien had Ishiin's antics in him, but also Ichigo's need to protect his friends. Ichigo had been raising Kaien in his own house, right beside the family clinic. Now that he had a kid, Ishiin had deemed it proper to move out, but not too far away. They had compromised by buying the house next door.

Kaien had a normal teenage life, unlike his father had experienced. Kaien went to Karakura High, ate dinner over at the clinic, and kicked his grandfather in the face. Kaien always laughed as Ishiin cried over the poster of his grandmother. Kaien also attended a dojo that Ichigo was very familiar with. Ichigo never told his son about his failures in the dojo, meaning getting beaten up by a girl. Especially since the girl that used to beat him up was now the sensei of the dojo.

Kaien could see spirits too. Not just ordinary spirits either. Kaien could see Hollows and Shinigami as well. Kaien would talk with Ichigo's old friends such as Renji, Toshiro, and even Kisuke every once in a while. Kaien and Kisuke were a pair of individuals who could drive Ichigo absolutely crazy. Ichigo himself had regained his ability to see and interact with Shinigami long before Kaien had been born. When Kaien had been born, many Soul Reapers had offered to transfer some of their powers to him, in hopes of creating a new titan like Ichigo had been, Ichigo had forbidden this action to occur; he had lost enough, and he wasn't going to put his son through all that. His son could make that decision when he was of age.

Ichigo stood outside his house, wearing a black suit and tie. He looked up at the gray sky, and thought. He thought about his son, among other things. This was the first time they had done this together. Ichigo wanted to wait until Kaien was ready. Ichigo turned around as he heard the door open. Kaien walked out of the house, wearing an identical suit. Kaien walked over to his father's side, and looked up. Ichigo reached down and unbuttoned Kaien's suit jacket.

"Not _that _formal. I used to wear jeans and a t-shirt when I did this as a kid," Ichigo explained.

XXX

Ichigo and Kaien walked side by side up the large hill that led to the cemetery. Each step they took was a long stride, and they took each one silently. Ichigo grasped his black umbrella tightly in his hand. He never enjoyed this trip, but he never hated it either. Ichigo looked over to Kaien, who had a look on his face that was somewhere between thoughtful and nervous. When they reached the top of the hill, Ichigo put a hand on Kaien's shoulder. He gestured towards the graves with a nod of his head. Ichigo began to walk, and Kaien followed.

Finally, they reached the grave that Ichigo had seen so many times. Ichigo kneeled in front of his mother's grave. He thought about how she used to smile, and was grateful that she had finally been avenged with the death of Great Fisher at the hands of his father. Kaien had heard all the stories about her, but obviously had never met her. Kaien looked at the grave. He was confused. He knew he should feel sad, but didn't feel a sense of loss. That is often the case when visiting the grave of a person you never knew. All Kaien knew was that visiting this grave was a tradition. This time it was Kaien's turn to comfort his father as he quietly mourned the death of Masaki Kurosaki. Ichigo did not let any tears fall when he came to visit now. First, he didn't want to look weak in front of his own son. Second, he didn't feel guilty for her death anymore.

Ichigo stood up to full height. He scratched his bright orange beard that he'd been growing. Despite hair color, he was beginning to look like his father. Kaien sighed, and then turned to walk out of the cemetery. Usually when his father told him stories about previous visits, this was the part where he left. Kaien was stopped by Ichigo's grasp around his arm. Kaien looked back at his father.

"There's one more I want you to see before we go," Ichigo said. Kaien nodded, but wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Ichigo walked up two more levels of the cemetery, and then to the opposite end of the row. Ichigo gestured for Kaien to follow, and then pointed to the headstone right in front of him. Kaien looked at the name of the stone: Rukia Kurosaki. Kaien didn't understand. There was no one in his family he'd heard of named Rukia. Although, his dad had always told him stories about a Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki. She had given Ichigo his powers, lived in his closet, put him in his place, and always been there for him. Ichigo had talked about how he had saved her from Soul Society, and helped her blend into the Living World. Kaien had always thought his father was talking about her like some old crush. Kaien looked at his father.

"Dad, is this Rukia Kuchiki?" Kaien asked.

"Yea, she was. I married her after I got my ability to see her back. She worked it out with Soul Society to be permanently stationed here in Karakura, so she continued to her life in a gigai. She killed Hollows when they came, since I couldn't anymore," Ichigo smiled at the memories.

"I never knew, dad."

"I never told you."

This time Ichigo began to cry. He fell down to his knees, and tears poured from his eyes. Rain began to fall in the cemetery. Ichigo didn't care; he was too focused on the grave in front of him. Kaien cried too. He had never known his mother either, but unlike his grandmother, he had an awful feeling of loss in his heart for his mother. Kaien kneeled beside his crying father, and wrapped his arm around the man's shoulders. When Ichigo finally wiped the tears from his eyes, he was soaked from the rain. He opened his umbrella and held it over himself. Kaien had been holding his, so he wasn't as wet as his father.

"Dad, how did Ruki- mom die?" Kaien questioned. Ichigo rolled his shoulders, and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well, she began to live the majority of her life in her gigai, with me. She basically became human. Then she became pregnant, with you," Ichigo smiled as he playfully elbowed Kaien on the side. "When you were about a week old, we went to my dad for a follow up on her health. My dad came into the room, more solemn than I'd ever seen him. He looked straight at us, I was holding you in my arms, and he told us that Rukia had cancer. I nearly dropped you. Rukia was frozen. Then you started crying; babies can sense the atmosphere of a room. She died five weeks later."

"What was she like?"

"She was a lot like you."

Kaien closed his eyes, but they shot open again when Ichigo wrapped him in a tight hug. His father had never been very affectionate when it came to things like hugs or stuff like that. Kaien realized just how important Rukia must have been to his dad. Ichigo released Kaien, and told him it was time to go home. As they walked to the exit of the cemetery, Ichigo turned around.

"Rukia, why'd you have to leave? The damn rain started falling again."


End file.
